The Girl on the Bike
by dickard23
Summary: This is an AU story where Randall is an avid motorcyclist, he introduces both daughters to the hobby, but Clare's the one who falls in love with it. When her parents split, they disagree on everything, including Clare and her bike. Will she find away to work things out with them? Or will she just take off on her bike.
1. Prologue

The Girl with A Bike

This is an AU story where Randall is an avid motorcyclist, he introduces both daughters to the hobby, but Clare's the one who falls in love with it. Eli isn't bipolar and he and Clare don't break up. The Eli/Fitz war never happens. There is one short smutty scene, so I left it T, since it's mostly T. I marked the smut, so skip it if it offends you.

**Prologue**

* * *

><p>Clare Edwards 3 Years Old<p>

"Ready to go, Buttercup!"

"Yes, Daddy! Let's do it."

This was Clare Edwards first time on a motorcycle. She was in her dad's sidecar just riding around the suburban neighborhood, safe and little traffic. Clare was instantly hooked. Darcy was 9 and was allowed on the back of the motorcycle, but she had a sleepover today. This day was a Randall and Clare day. Helen watched affectionately from her window. Some days, she went riding too, but other times, she was content to just watch her family on them.

* * *

><p>Clare Edwards 8 Years Old<p>

"Today's the day!" Clare yelled as she hopped out of bed, washed up, got dressed and ran down the stairs. Her dad was finally taking her out on the back of his bike. They went around the block and then he took her in a loop through the neighborhood. She was finally on the bike. She felt awesome. She held onto her dad. She knew she was safe with him. Darcy was old enough to ride on her own now, but she only went on her bike sometimes. She'd rather do power squad and flirt with boys.

* * *

><p>Clare Edwards 11 Years Old<p>

Clare finally got her own bike, a youth bike, but it was hers. She got to be the driver. She went out with her dad and when she got used to driving, which happened very quickly, she would go on rides with the whole family. It was the best summer of Clare's life and it would be for a long time.

* * *

><p>Clare Edwards 14 Years old<p>

She was finally in high school in grade 9. She had been in catholic school, so most of her shirts were plain blouses and skirts, but she tried to have some style, mainly a bracelet or a ribbon in her hair, but her clothes were a bit drab, her hair, pretty, but never well styled and her glasses blocked her perfect eyes. Despite all of this, she managed to find a boyfriend a one K.C. Guthrie.

He was her first kiss, her first french kiss and her first makeout session. She thought they were perfect until she overheard K.C. with his friends.

Bianca: What is with that Christian goody two shoes?

Owen: She's so lame. Seriously, look at her.

Fitz: I wouldn't be caught dead with her as my girlfriend, but that Jenna girl, she'd be great.

Clare was crushed. She cried all afternoon and wouldn't even tell Alli what was wrong. She reluctantly told K.C., who said his friends were jerks and that he liked her not Jenna.

Too bad two weeks later, he dumped her for Jenna, the girl who bullied her all throughout middle school, the girl who said she was sorry and wanted to make up with her in high school, the girl who flaunted K.C. in front of her, kissing him in front of her. Clare wanted to cry every day for the rest of that year; her sister was gone and had been for 3 years. Her friends didn't understand. She was a nobody and she hated it.

* * *

><p>Clare Edwards 15 years old.<p>

Randall knew his daughter was down and offered to take her out on a bike ride. She went to get on Darcy's bike to discover it was not in working order. They went to look for used parts to fix it and they found a run down Harley Davidson Sportster. It was the perfect bike for Clare. She's a small girl, so she needed a short bike and this bike was beautiful, on the inside. It's outside needed a lot of work.

She and her father spent the summer restoring the bike together, replacing broken parts, giving the bike a tune up, fresh oil, paint, emerald green with a gold stripe, and her helmet matched. It was a beautiful bike and she loved it. She and her dad had a deal. She could go riding with her dad once she got her permit and once she got her license, she got her own keys. She could take her bike out on her own, with curfew and location restrictions, of course, and she had to keep her grades up.

Clare decided to make herself over along with her bike. Her parents let her get lasik surgery, she got a hair cut and a new warddrobe. She couldn't ride her bike to school yet, but she could wear her new clothes to school, the leather jacket, the new jeans, the tight tops. She wasn't a scared grade niner anymore.

* * *

><p>First Day of Grade Ten<p>

When people saw Clare, they thought she was a new student. Even Wesley, who has known her for years, got confused. Even though K.C. was with Jenna, he went to flirt with her, just to realize she was his ex.

"You look good," he said walking up to her from behind.

"Thanks K.C.," she mumbled as she ran away.

Clare? Shit?

The same kids who made fun her now wanted to be her friends. Fitz asked her out. Bianca invited her to sit with them. Owen asked if she wanted to go to the boiler room.

"You all are a bunch of stupid jerks," she snapped at them. "I'm the same girl I was three months ago, the same girl who cried every day because of how horribly you talked about her and how her boyfriend left her for another girl to appease your stupid prejudices, the same girl who loves God, and now you think I'm magically cool enough for you because I have a haircut and bigger boobs. I've always been too good for you. It just took me too long to see it."

She stormed off, not saying another word about them or to them again.

Jenna of course, told everyone she got a boob job and she did it to get K.C. from her and when Wesley asked her about it, Clare confronted Jenna.

"You are a pathetic excuse of a person, Jenna. You've done nothing but bully and belittle me because your jealous. At the end of the day, I'm going to make it in life and you'll never amount to anything because you are so weak that you have to bring people down because you don't have the strength to pick yourself off the ground. You're ont he ground because you are a manipulative, lying, filthy whore and you can only get guys to notice you by opening your legs. Good luck being a teen mother."

Little did Clare know, Jenna was actually pregnant.

At the end of the day, Clare was furious with her peers and ready to leave, she ran smack gab into a one Eli Goldsworthy, causing them both to fall down. "Sorry, I didn't see you," she said.

"I'm Eli."

"Clare."

"I"m new, so I am just getting my class assignments. I don't start class until tomorrow. Could you show me around?" She showed him his classes and they had advanced English together.

"I'll see you around, Blue Eyes." He was gone.

Her day was finally looking up.

Over the next month, it wasn't long until Eli and Clare were totally into each other. They liked the same books and both were fans of AC/DC and Florence of the Machine. They even had a best friend in common, a one Adam Torres. Eli loved his car and said he'd teach her how to drive. Clare loved her bike and said she'd teach him how to ride. "Kinky!" he joked as she rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p>Clare Edwards 16 years old.<p>

As their love grew, her parents' love for each other dissipated. When Clare turned 16 and was getting ready to take her motorcycle test and get her license, her parents were too busy feuding to remember it was her birthday. They were divorcing, she knew, but couldn't they forget about that for one day? Her boyfriend Eli took her to get her license and once she got it, she promptly went home and got her key as her dad promised. She took him for a ride that went on for hours. She felt free for the first time in months. Eli held on tight, having never been on a motorcycle before, well other than some loops in the neighborhood that Clare could do when her father was supervising. Eli got himself a helmet, so he could go with Clare as she wished. She could also now ride her bike to school.

"I love my bike," Clare told him as they had a picnic under the stars.

"I can see why," Eli told her. "I never felt anything like that before."

"I've been on bikes since I was three," she told him. "It's apart of me, like in my bones."

"It's one of the many reasons I love you."

"You love me?"

He kissed her like the world was ending.

"I love you too."

When they came back, her parents didn't even notice her absence or wish her a happy birthday. Her dad remembered the next day and felt bad that she got her license without him. He did update his insurance and give Clare her own card.

When she rode her bike to school, heads turned. Bikes had always been apart of her life, but most people didn't see that unless they went to her house and the only people who came over were Eli and Alli. She usually went to Adam's to hang out with him. Clare had a different demeanor when she rode her bike to school. She had her swagger back. She had a confidence that could not be shaken, despite Jenna starting a rumor that she was having sex with Eli and gave him her virginity in the ravine.

When she came home, she found out her dad was moving out, into a condo and her mother and she were staying in the house.

Helen: I don't want you riding your bike to school anymore.

Clare: What? We had a deal. I kept up my end. I got my license. I drove safely. I kept my grades up.

Helen: I don't think it's safe.

Clare: Dad and I fixed the bike ourselves. A mechanic double checked it. It gets regular maintenance.

Helen: Weekends only, that's final.

Clare: went up to her room. She skipped dinner. She was in no mood to spend time with her mother right now.

A month later, her childhood friend Jake Martin moved back to Toronto with his father, Glen. She was happy to see him again, but she spent a lot of her time with her boyfriend and didn't pay much mind to how often the Martins were in her house. At the end of the year, her mother announced she was marrying Glen. Already? Clare was kind of weirded out. She didn't really feel like she knew Glen anymore, and now he and Jake were living in her home. Weird?

Over the summer, Clare rode her bike every chance she could. All weekend and after work on weekdays. During the day, she would work in her dad's law office shredding documents. They always needed to shred documents.

One day, Helen mentioned going to spend Christmas with the extended Martin family in Alberta. Clare showed no interest in going. "I want to stay with Dad."

"Why?"

"Because he's my dad. I don't have any family in Alberta. Christmas is for family."

"The Martins are in Alberta."

"You're a Martin. You should go with Glen and Jake. I'm an Edwards. I should be with an Edwards. I hardly see Dad enough as it is."

Her mother refused to consider Clare's position. Clare had a few choice words for her and the next day, Helen tried to sell Clare's bike. She thought it was causing Clare's attitude. Clare saw the sign and when a prospective came to check out her bike, she screamed her head off, scaring him and all of her neighbors. She called her dad and she put his name on the bike with her, so Helen couldn't sell it without his signing the title. Helen told her she couldn't keep the bike at her house, so Randall parked it in the garage in his condo and gave Clare a key to the condo, so she could get it.

The relationship between Clare and Helen was strained to say the least. Clare felt like Helen wanted her to give up riding because she did, because it reminded her of Randall and Helen thought Clare was using her father to fight her battles in the home. She spent more time at her dad's condo during the summer, so she could be with her bike and take Eli around. She taught him how to ride one of her dad's older bikes. It was taller than Clare's bike, which was good for Eli, and it wasn't as fast of a ride. He taught her how to drive Morty.

* * *

><p>Grade Eleven<p>

Clare went one one last ride with Eli the day before school started. They made out in the abandoned church for hours. She just needed to feel like she had escaped. When she got to school, she was surprised when Bianca approached her. "I know we didn't get off on a good start before, but I was wondering if you would maybe think about giving me another chance."

"I can do that, but what sparked the change?"

"It just became too much drama, dealing with Jenna and her way of using people. It's like being trapped in Disturbia."

"Sure. Wanna check out my bike?"

"Really, that would be sweet."

"We'll have to go to my dad's condo to get it."

After school, Eli drove Clare and Bianca to Clare's dad's condo. She got the helmets from the condo and the bikes from the garage. She showed off her baby; her name was Sasha. Bianca was amazed. "How did you afford such a nice bike?"

"My dad and I got it from a junkyard and fixed her up. It took us all of last summer."

"You made this bike!"

"Yep. She's my baby. Her name is Sasha."

"I've always wanted my own bike, but my Auntie says no."

"Let's take her for a spin. She was built to ride." Bianca grabbed hold and Clare took her around the block. There was a bigger loop that Clare liked and she went fast. Bianca knew how to ride, so she was fine, but Clare had taken no prisoners. She brings the car back to where Eli was and Bianca was giddy.

"Someday," Bianca said. Someday!

The trio hung out at the Dot afterwards. Clare thanked Eli for driving them and after his goodbye kiss, and said they should ride together tomorrow. He smiled at that.

Over the next month, Clare was glad she became friends with Bianca. They actually had a lot in common, once they got past Clare's faith and Bianca's promiscuity: movies, music, bikes. She was a good friend to have around. Of course Jenna shunned Bianca for her "betrayal." Bianca didn't care. Her grades went up and her detentions went down once she stopped hanging out with Jenna and her crew. Clare and Eli only grew stronger as a couple and they even took Adam with them on a couple of their rides through town. They had to keep it on the DL. If Audra knew, all three of them would be dead.

Once Helen found out that Eli was becoming a biker, she was not happy. She started being more restrictive as to when Eli could come over and for how long he could stay when Jake had different girls over all the time with no restrictions. Clare hated the double standard, so she started spending more time with Eli at her dad's condo. The tension between Clare and Helen only grew.

* * *

><p>The Candy Bandits<p>

One day, Clare and Eli were riding in the neighborhood and Clare saw a familiar face. It was Jay. He couldn't see her face with her helmet on. She revved her engine, challenging him to a race. They took off. She smoked him. Her bike was very fast. He asked her? "Dude what's your name."

"You don't recognize me Jay," she took off her helmet. "It's Clare Edwards."

"Baby Edwards! You grew up gorgeous and you can ride like a champion. How long have you been on the bike?"

"Sidecar since I was 3, on the back since I was 8, driving since I was 11 and now I'm 16."

"You were pretty much born on a bike. I want that for my kids."

Jay was with Sean Cameron. They were on their way to meet Alex and Towerz and they invited Clare and Eli. They went and they had fun. The others smoked cigarettes and Clare did not, but she liked hearing their stories about back in the day, especially the ones with Darcy, since she was so far away. Jay didn't exactly get along with Darcy, but Clare liked him. He was also a much better guy now than he was then. Eli was surprised that Clare fit in so well, since she was the youngest, but she seemed to have found her niche. She started riding with them on the weekends, and she'd Bianca on the back of her bike sometimes. Bianca and Alex were quite similar. Eli would come sometimes, but he also would spend time with Adam, since Adam wasn't allowed in this world. Clare would too, but she loved to ride so much. Eli understood. "You should keep this passion going. You're happier even when you get off your bike after riding."

She would make it up to him with extra kissing time during the week, which he always enjoyed.

Clare would also help fix bikes in the shop for some extra cash, tax-free and parents need not approve. Her dad wouldn't have minded at all anyway.

The more Clare argued with Glen and Helen, the more she sought solace in Eli and in the Candy Bandits. She needed to stay away from her house as much as possible. It was not her home anymore. It hadn't been since Glen moved into it. It was his home and she was like an unwelcome tenant.

Jay and Sean told her about a biking convention and show coming up in a few weeks. "It's from Wednesday to Friday and we know you got school, but maybe your dad would let you come up on Friday. It's a 5 hour ride away, Calgary."

Clare really wanted to go. The convention had a presentations on a bunch of topics, biking and the law: knowing your rights, advanced repair, how to open your own bike shop, how to plan a cross-country ride, pretty much anything a biker would want to learn about, talk about, meet people who have done it. Also, the show to see awesome bikes and chances to share stories in the bar and in restaurants.

Clare asked her dad if he could take her on Friday. Randall asked Helen who said absolutely not, even if they drove a car instead of riding. Clare was crushed.


	2. The Breaking Point

**The Breaking Point**

Jake was having a birthday dinner Tuesday night. Clare thought it would just be Jake, the parents and herself. She was stunned and not happy when she saw Jenna. "What are you doing here?"

"She's our guest, don't be rude," Glen scolded her. She glared. She's no guest of mine.

"So, you're in Clare's year," Helen commented. "Are you friends?"

"Well…." Jenna started.

"Nope. We hate each other," Clare said bluntly.

"CLARE!"

"What? You raised me not to lie. We aren't friends. We have never been friends. We will never be friends."

"She's my friend," Jake said.

"Good luck with that," Clare mumbled.

"You don't even know anything about me," Jenna snapped.

"Really? I know you bullied me all throughout middle school, told me you wanted to bury the hatchet in high school just to steal my boyfriend the first chance you got, then rubbed it in my face by making out with him in front of me during school, encouraging all of your friends to say terrible things about me all day, so I would cry, literally, every day of freshman year, and as soon as I got to be a sophomore, you lied to everyone, told them I had breast implants and that I did it to steal your then boyfriend, who I didn't even want anymore and you made up a rumor about me giving my virginity to Eli at the ravine and you got pregnant and got the baby taken away by CPS because you neglected him, and he fell and hit his head, causing him to go to the hospital and when your friend actually tried to turn her life around and pick up her grades and make amends to the people she used to torment, you shut her out as punishment for daring to attempt redemption. You are the meanest, nastiest, most selfish person I ever met and you are literally the embodiment of poison, killing everything you touch. I know exactly who you are. You're the devil, and you can't even afford Prada." Clare got up and left the dinner. Her appetite had been spoiled.

Jake froze. He knew that Clare and Jenna weren't exactly friends, but he never asked her why. He was starting to doubt his decision to bring her to the dinner. Glen was furious. He stormed up to her room, pounding on her door, but she wouldn't open it. "YOU SELFISH INSOLATE BRAT HOW DARE YOU RUIN JAKE'S BIRTHDAY DINNER WITH YOUR STUPID ANTICS. YOU WILL COME OUT AND APOLOGIZE TO HER AND JAKE AND TO YOUR MOTHER AND TO ME AND YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR THE NEXT MONTH."

Clare was already packing her bags. She had no intention of staying here any longer. She had it. She was sick of feeling like she was second best to her own mother. She would never be as important to her as her new life was. Jenna being Jake's friend trumped every awful thing she ever did to Clare, and there were just so many. Glen yelled at her all of the time. This rant was nothing. Helen didn't want Clare riding anymore, or spending time with her dad at all as it seemed. Yeah, he cheated, but Clare still loved him.

She took her bags and threw them out the window. She left a note.

"I can tell I'm not wanted here. I'm going to live with Dad. Enjoy a Martins only household-Clare."

Now Mom has exactly what she wanted, Clare thought to herself; she's rid of any memory of Randall Edwards. She asked Eli to come get her and they drove to her father's condo. She left her bags there and took her keys. It was her bike. She could take it. That was the deal. Forget her mother's stubbornness. She knew her dad was away on a conference Wednesday and Thursday. No one would notice her missing until Friday and that's when she was coming home anyway. She kissed Eli roughly, pulling him down to the couch where he grabbed at her, knowing this would be the last moment like this they'd share for a while. She would likely be grounded forever after this stunt. She called Jay. "You guys still in town."

"Meet up's in an hour. You know the spot." She packed her backpack, went to the bathroom, and took her bike.

"You made it, Edwards."

"I'm in." She had enough money from working to pay her way. She was good. They rode as a quartet. Clare loved night rides. The roads clear, the sky dark, only hearing the bikes and the ancillary noise of night. Clare felt free, knowing she'd be somewhere else at daybreak. Riding was her life. It was the last good memory she had of the Edwards, before her sister's rape, her two suicide attempts and her fleeing to Kenya, before her mother hated her father, when they loved each other and loved their kids. Her mom had become so bitter she hated Clare for being her father's daughter, well at least Clare felt that way. She was half her dad. If she hated her dad, then she hated half of her. It tore Clare in two, but when she was on her bike, she was all one piece.

They got to Calgary before dawn and to save on hotel fare, they didn't book rooms for Tuesday night. Instead they found a 24 hour saloon and when they saw Clare on her own bike, they didn't question her age.

They got some beers and Clare explained her final night at home.

"That bitch did all that stuff to you?" Alex was stunned and kind of impressed, even her bullying days didn't get that bad.

"And more, but I was too mad to say everything."

"And they just took her side?"

"She's Jake's friend, of course they did. He's a Martin and I'm not. I'm the only reminder that she ever married Randall Edwards, but now I'm gone. She can have a nice life."

Alex was estranged from her mother as was Towerz, and Jay was estranged from his father. Sean had his parents in his life; they just couldn't really handle him although they tried. They found parenting from afar worked better.

After a few beers, Clare was in a much better mood. She learned about why her friends were just as bad with their parents as she could be with her mom if not worse. The morning finally came and they went to get breakfast. Clare went with bacon and eggs with toast, since it was rarely done badly.

After they feasted they went to check into the hotel. Clare and Alex split a room to save money. Clare was taking a nap before the convention got underway this afternoon.

No one noticed that Clare wasn't in her room until Wednesday morning. When she didn't come out, they assumed they were getting the silent treatment. It wasn't until Jake and Glen took down the door that they saw the note and a lot of her stuff missing.

Glen thought this was just another stunt. Jake didn't. He was going to her dad's condo after school. Something was wrong with this picture. Clare was a straight A student, got along with people at school, got along with him at school, but as soon as she got home, it was World War 3. Clare can't be the only reason for that. There had to be a reason she felt unwanted. No way her mother didn't want her.

Randall had no idea Clare wasn't home. Helen didn't call him. He was going to lectures, listening to panel discussions, typical lawyer stuff. He was trying to develop more skills, so he could handle law in the digital age. He knew Clare was disappointed about not going to the convention.

Clare had texted Eli when she arrived, so he knew she was safe. He wished he had gone with her, but even his liberal parents would have flipped. Also, driving a hearse to a motorcycle convention was a bit weird, even for him. He wasn't a good enough biker to do a five-hour trip. She said she'd send him pictures and call him everyday. He just wanted to hear her voice.

When Clare did wakeup, she registered, paid the fee, since she hadn't before and went to a presentation on advanced repairs and restoration projects. She had her notebook and pen and had a couple of questions for the presenter. He was surprised to see a young girl with such interests and he asked her if she had ever restored a bike before. "I restored mine," she said, showing him a picture after she the presentation was over.

"Nice! Well you clearly have a lot of skills, especially for your age. He gave her his card. He had a shop near Toronto. If you're ever looking for an apprenticeship."

"I'd love that."

There was demo on cosmetic stuff, like fancy paints and it was always fun to see bikes with cool stuff, so Clare took pictures and sent them to Eli.

She called him before the Wednesday show.

"How is it?" He asked her.

"This is awesome. I learned a lot about advanced projects. I've had my eye on this bike that I want to build for Bianca."

"You want to build her a bike?"

"I figured we could do it together, but I'll need to show her how. I miss building, and I figure I won't be allowed to ride for a long while when I get back so, I'll need something to keep me busy. Did you want to build a bike too?"

"I have enough trouble trying to fix my car."

"Well, if you change your mind, there's nothing like riding a bike you put together."

"Amen to that," Jay said as he walked up to her.

"I'll let you go. Call me tonight."

"I love you Eli."

"I love you too, Blue Eyes."

"Enjoying yourself, Edwards."

"Yes. I went to a great presentation on restoration techniques. There's this bike I was thinking of getting so Bianca and I can rebuild it and she can have her own wheels."

"That would be sick. You're welcome to keep it at my shop if your parents are not cool about it."

"My dad will be, but if I could work on it there, that would be nice."

"Of course." They went to go check out the bikes on display as well as the live demos.

Jake went to go to Clare's dad's condo after school and he couldn't get ahold of anyone in the condo. She skipped class, so he didn't know where she could be. He didn't know Randall's number, so he didn't have much luck. He didn't even remember the name of the firm he worked out. He just tried the concierge. "I'm looking for my stepsister and I think she ran off to stay with her dad that lives in this building." He showed her picture. He hadn't seen her all day, but he wasn't here last night. Jake e-mails him the picture, so they can print it and keep it here if she comes in. She has a key, so she could come and go at anytime. Jake went home. That was all he could do here.

When he got home, Glen wasn't too worried. "The house is more peaceful."

"How could you say that?"

"She's a lot of trouble."

"She's not having the easiest time here, Dad."

"Who's fault is that?"

Jake shook his head. No wonder Clare wanted out of here. Helen would never talk about him the way his dad talked about her.

He called Eli. "Do you know where Clare went? We haven't seen her since dinner."

"She asked me to take her to her dad's condo."

"She made it inside."

"Yeah, I helped her bring up her bags." Eli didn't reveal Clare's travel to Calgary. He held out the slightest bit of hope, she got back before the Martins knew she went there.

"Okay. If you see her or hear from her, can you tell her to call me? I just want to know she's okay."

Eli didn't feel so good about his deception. Jake didn't cause any of this. He texted Clare. "Jake's worried about you."

Clare saw the text after she took a picture of Jay on a display bike. She called him, reluctantly. She didn't want him to worry.

"Clare! Where are you?"

"I went for a ride with the Candy Bandits. I'll be back on Friday."

"Eli said you went to your dad's."

"I did, but I needed to clear my head, so I went out for a ride. That's why you didn't find me there."

"Well, I know things aren't going so well at home, but I do want you back. The house is kind of dead without you."

"Without me arguing with Mom and or your dad all day."

"At least there's some sound being made. Now it's just an eerie silence."

Clare sighed. She could just record their next fight and play it on loop. They're all the same. Clare is selfish. Clare spends too much time on her bike. This is a family now. The Martin family was not her family. They never attempted to be. Families don't try to isolate you from the only things that keep you sane. Families don't insult your dad at every opportunity or try and keep you from him. Families don't pick outsiders over you, Jenna Middelton of all people. Families actually try. They don't just move into your house and command your love.

All Clare wanted was for her mother to try to understand her, just a little bit. It seemed like an impossible feat at this point.

The Candy Bandits went on an evening ride with some locals before dinner, learning where races got held at night and where the cops tended to lie in wait for you. All useful information. Clare didn't race though. Too dangerous.

After dinner, Clare called Eli again telling him about the show they saw, the stunts, the food she ate, that was better tasting than it looked, but it looked like a baby spit it up. "How was school?" she asked Eli.

He told her that English was boring without his partner, but he told Miss Dawes you had food poisoning, so you're good in that class. "We have an assignment due next week, write a letter to someone that you are not going to send to him or her. Only Miss Dawes will see it."

Clare didn't know who to write to. She guessed someone she wouldn't want to write to at all. She'd worry about that when she was grounded. She would have all of time in the world to write a letter to all of the people she couldn't confront face to face.

They talked about Eli's new idea for a video project and Adam's latest crush; he always seemed to have a new one and Clare said she'd call tomorrow. She got a text from Bianca. Where are you?

"Out with Candy Bandits will be back Friday. Probably not in school until Monday."

"Really? Your Mom let you go."

"No. I didn't ask. I just left."

"Damn! Who are you, me?"

"We're not so different B."

"I heard you took off Jenna's head at Jake's birthday dinner. Everyone's talking about how someone finally stood up to her bitch ass."

"I didn't even mean to. She just hit my last nerve."

"Well, you lived to tell the tale, so good job."

Clare went out to check out the motorcycle races. No accidents today, well no major ones. Some spinouts and junk, but no casualties or totaled bikes.

Thursday

Clare chatted up the various manufacturer representatives, learning about new features on their bikes and encouraging them to remember smaller people need bikes too! She got some pictures with various biker groups and heard a lot of stories about their travels through Canada and the United States. She even met a posse that came here from Vancouver on their bikes. She always wanted to go to Vancouver.

She saw some kids around her age and introduced herself. "I'm Clare."

"Reese," one boy with long dark hair says. "Wesley," says the dorky cute boy with curly hair and "Dave," says the black boy with short hair.

"How did you get out of school?" she asks them.

"We home school. It gives us more time to work on our bikes."

"I wish I had more time to work on my bikes. My mom hates motorcycles now. She used to like them a lot."

"Why?" Reese asks

"My motorcycle loving dad left her for a younger woman."

"Ouch!" they all say in unison. "How did you get here if your mom hates bikes."

'I ran away."

"From around here?" Dave asks.

"Toronto. I have to go back home tomorrow."

"Dang! That's bad ass." Wesley tells Clare.

Clare went and got ice cream with them before the afternoon show. She showed them her bike and they showed her theirs.

Jake thought it odd Clare again didn't go to school, so he tried the concierge and a new one also hadn't seen her, nor had any of them reported seeing her. He couldn't get into the apartment himself, but he could ask them to call his emergency contact who was his girlfriend. She said she knew nothing about Clare being in the condo, and she'd call Randall.

"Hi Irene," Randall greets as he opens his phone.

"Hey, is Clare staying in your condo."

"No, she lives with her mother."

"I know, but her stepbrother called, saying she ran away on Tuesday and her boyfriend says he dropped her off at the condo, but no one has seen her."

"What? No one told me she was missing over two days."

"Do you want me to check on the condo?"

"Please do and tell me whatever you find, immediately."

Irene drove to his place and used her key. She and Jake went up there and they saw her duffel bags, but no indication she stayed in the room at all. Irene called Randall. "It looks like Clare dropped off her bags, but didn't actually stay here."

Randall asked if there were keys hanging on a ring by the cupboard. Irene described all of the keys that were there and Clare's keys were not.

"I think I know where she is," Randall told Irene. "I'll go get her tomorrow." He needed to get home first before he could go get her.

He left his conference early, got home and got ready for a bike ride. He had a convention to crash.

He rode out to go get his baby girl and get her to come home. How the hell did Helen not call and say Clare was missing? What caused her to bolt? She wanted to go, but it's unlike her to runaway. Something else must have happened.

Clare had dinner with her new friends and introduced them to the Candy Bandits. Wesley admired how they got their name. "I got kicked out of my private school for switching the cola cans with beer and making them 50 cents."

"How did you profit?" Jay asked him.

"It wasn't for profit. It was to get everyone piss drunk all day."

They laugh.

After dinner, the Candy Bandits and their new friends ride around some more and then decide to get really drunk. It's Clare's last night with them for a while. When she goes home, she's gonna be stepping into some shit. They found a place with $1 call shots and $2 well shots. They got drunk fast. Clare opted for well tequilla. Jay gave her Advil that night and told her to take more in the morning.

They walked back to the hotel and Clare texted Eli. "Sorry I didn't call. I met new friends and got distracted."

He called. "Just wanted to make sure you had a good day."

"I did, I just got a bit smashed. The Candy Bandits figured I should since I'm grounded for life anyway."

"Well, drink some water and take some Advil."

"Yes, Sir. Goodnight, my love."

"Goodnight Blue Eyes."

Randall arrives at around 1AM, since he left around 8PM, so that was decent time. He rented a hotel room near the convention and went to sleep. He'd find her tomorrow morning.

When Clare woke up, she made sure her bag was packed, so she could just eat, go to a cool presentation and bounce.

Randall Edwards went up to the booth and shows them a picture of Clare. Luckily he has one of her that he took recently with her on her bike. I know the bike, the guy told her and he pointed at it. Well, he could just wait there.

Clare was on her way out of breakfast. "Who's standing near my bike?" Dad! "Dad!" I ran to him.

He hugged me tightly. "Don't you ever worry me like that again."

"I won't; I promise. I was just so upset. I couldn't stay in that house anymore."

"You're always welcome in my house, but you can't just take your bike and leave the province."

"I know, and I know I'm facing a huge punishment when I get home, but can we at least stay a couple of hours. We're already here."

"Well, I want an explanation as to what happened, so we can see two different parts of today's convention and then grab lunch and talk about everything and then we'll ride home together."

"You brought your bike?"

"Of course!"

She smiled. "Come meet my friends Dad." She introduced him to the Candy Bandits and the Calgary boys and they went to a presentation on motorcycle stunts and how they stage hollywood crash scenes. They had some special effects stuff as well.

Enough motorcycles for a few days. Clare and her Dad went to lunch.

"So what caused you to just leave."

"I hadn't been getting along with Glen or Mom in a while. They're always complaining about me and my bike or me and my boyfriend or me and my clothes. I just feel like I'm never good enough when I'm there. It's never oh you're doing well in school or you got onto the school paper. I finally snapped when Jake invited Jenna Middleton to his birthday dinner, and they were acting like I was the problem for not wanting her there. I had no warning, and I didn't handle it well" Randall flinched when he heard Jenna's name. He knew all to well how many days Clare came home crying because of something she said or did and he was surprised Helen didn't do something before it got out of hand that night.

Jenna had no business showing up, especially unannounced. Glen screamed at me through the door, which is typical, and said I was grounded for a month and at that point, I was already packing my bags to leave. I called Eli and he took me to the condo. When I found out my friends still hadn't left for the convention, I grabbed the keys and packed my backpack, and I just left. I kind of thought I might be able to get back unnoticed. Glen didn't look for me. Mom hadn't either. If Jake hadn't gotten worried, well you know what happened next.

"What did you mean when you said typical?"

"Glen's usually screaming at me for something. I'm selfish for using all the milk. I spend too much time with my boyfriend and I better not get pregnant. I don't spend enough time with the family; I'm always trying to leave. You try being in that house, Dad. I'm amazed I lasted as long as I did."

Randall hugged his little girl, unsure of how to handle the situation. He'd gladly take Clare to live with him, but his mother would probably sue him if he did. He couldn't just leave her there though. What if she ran again? Where would she go? What if something happened to her. He had a few words he wanted to say to Helen and Glen. "We're going to figure this out together."

After lunch, Clare said goodbye to her friends and she and her father rode home, side by side, back to Toronto. They parked their bikes. She surrendered her key, unsure when she'd get it back, but right now, she just needed to survive a confrontation with her mother. He said to put her stuff in the car and if it didn't turn out, they'd turn back around.

When they finally got there, the police had been called. Helen accused Randall of taking Clare out of the province without her permission. Randall tried to explain. He hadn't taken her anywhere. He was just bringing her home, but Helen wouldn't hear it and the cops weren't too receptive. Clare lost it and flipped out. "I RAN AWAY BECAUSE I HATE IT HERE. THIS IS A PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A FAMILY. ALL DAD DID WAS FIND ME AND BRING ME HOME AND I WISH HE HADN'T." She grabbed her backpack and ran off.

Randall sank his head in his hands. What was he to do? The police left, saying the matter should be resolved in family court. Clare hadn't realized where she was going until she found herself in front of Eli's door. She rang the bell.

Cece answered. "Hi Clare. I'll tell Eli you're here." She came inside and waited downstairs. Eli came from the top of the steps and ran to her. "Baby, you're home. I missed you." Clare just broke down and cried.

"She's always going to pick punishing dad over loving me. Why can't I be enough, just once?"

Eli brought her to his room. "You've always been enough for me. You've been so much more. Your heart is so big that it carries you and me and you can't even see it because it is wider than your beautiful eyes can see."

She crashed her lips on his, needed to feel something else, someone else other than despair and rage. Eli fell on top of her, covering her in kisses, trying to kiss away her tears, but more seemed to replace them. He held her close and she pulled his shirt off. He wasn't going to have sex with her tonight. He didn't want her first time to be because she felt abandoned by her mother. He did, however, have every intention of making her feel better.

**SMUT**

The clothes came off, he kissed and rubbed her tender breasts, focusing on her engorged nipples. He kissed her soft stomach, and her hips and her thighs. He told her he loved her and he nestled in between her legs. She thought he was going to take her and she closed her eyes. She was surprised, when she felt his tongue inside of her instead. He licked and sucked her as he probed her with his finger. She hadn't had a finger inside of her before. She was very tight. He rubbed her clit, which got her to relax enough for him to pump his finger in and out. "UGH! ELI!"

She moaned and panted as he made love to her using his mouth and fingers. She trembled as she came. He slowed down until she was done. He kissed her and said, "I love you." She fell asleep in his arms.

That morning, Eli woke up with morning wood. Clare saw him and she took care of it for him. Slowly and bashfully licking him, stroking him with her hand, sucking him into her mouth. Bianca had explained it to her before, but it felt so weird actually doing it. She did like how he would grunt and growl for her though. It felt good to please him.

**End of SMUT**

During the night, while the police were gone, Randall and Helen argued about what they should do about Clare. Jake called the Goldsworthys and found out she was at Eli's. Randall asked Cece to keep her eye on Clare overnight. Helen flipped, not wanting Clare there. "She's safe and inside, which is better than you've been able to do since Tuesday, so can it," he snarled.

She and Glen did not take to that very well at all and it quickly broke down into a screaming match. "Clare's like this because of you, because of those stupid bikes."

"It's not the bike, Helen. You used to love to ride too. I bet you try and forget those days, don't you? You lost Clare because you pushed her away; you wanted to make her something she's not because you think she's too much like me. She's always gonna be like me Helen. She's like you too. You are just too angry to see it." Randall's words cut right through her. She told him to get out. He did, gladly, and he kept Clare's things. He was going to fight for his daughter, and if he had to go to court again, so be it.

Randall went home, where his girlfriend had been waiting for him. He already called her to say he found Clare and she was safe. "How did bringing her home go?"

"She ran away to her boyfriend's pretty much immediately."

"That bad."

"That bad."

In the morning, Randall went to see his daughter. "Your mother has physical custody, but if you want to come live with me. I'll fight for you. It will be up to a judge, so I can't promise you anything, other than my best try."

That's all Clare needed to hear, that her father would try and be on her side. She wished her mother would. Randall took her to her mother's to avoid any conflicts with the police. He didn't want Eli's parents to get in trouble with them either. Clare tiptoed to her room and shut the door. Her lock was gone, so she couldn't lock it this time. She decided to write her letter for English.

Dear Mom,

I know you don't like me right now and you think that's dad's fault, but I haven't changed, dad hasn't changed, you changed, for the worse, ever since your marriage with dad failed. You hate that I love my bike, but you never even thought to ask me why I ride. I ride because it makes me feel complete again, like my best childhood memories don't have to be lost to me forever. The best summer of my life was when you and Dad got me my own bike. It was great because we would all ride together, to get ice cream, to the pool, we were a family, all four of us. You and Dad still loved each other. Darcy was happy and safe at home. It was the perfect summer, but then, everything changed. Darcy got raped and found out she was sick. She tried to kill herself twice.

Do you have any idea what it's like to come home and find your sister had cut her wrists in the shower, to take the shirt off your back to wrap it around the wound and try and make sure she doesn't die, to have to leave her alone on the bathroom floor to call 911, to see the ambulance take her away, with you being left at home, hoping she wouldn't die. Everything changed after that summer. I lost my sister that day. She lived, but then she needed to go to Kenya to find herself She said it would be four months, but it has been five years at this point. I lost her. We all did.

Middle school was a nightmare. I was too nerdy. I was too innocent. Do you want to know the first memory I have of Jenna Middleton? She told me that I was the most hideous thing she had ever seen. Everyone laughed at me that day. I had to stay at the nurse's office because I couldn't stop crying. Everyone hated me and my sister, the one person who I always had in my corner, was gone. The only time I felt like I was okay was when I was on my bike. I could get away from it all. I could finally be free again.

I finally get to high school and think things will change. I have my best friend, I got a boyfriend, but I still wasn't good enough. Jenna transferred and said she wanted to make amends, but all she wanted was my boyfriend. I was stupid enough to trust her and she and her friends made me the laughing stock of the school. I was miserable and I was outgrowing my bike. Dad knew how upset I was and he couldn't fix my problems at school, but he could spend the summer with me, building a new bike. Sasha isn't just a bike, Mom. She was my chance to move on, to leave my past behind.

I also know you don't like Eli. I don't know what he ever did to you other than encourage me to pursue my passions. Maybe that's the only thing he needed to do to set you off. He loves me Mom, and I love him. He was there for me when you and Dad decided tearing each other apart was more important than me, when you both forgot my birthday, he was there to take me to take my test and get my license. He taught me how to drive a car, which I always thought you and Dad would do, but the divorce made you both too busy. I am enough for him, just me.

I don't know why you turned on bikes so suddenly. The only thing I can think of is that dad introduced them to yourself and if you get rid of the bikes, you get rid of him too, but I'm half dad, Mom. When I see how much you hate him, it makes me think that you hate me too, that I'll never be good enough for you. I feel split in half and on Sasha, I feel like I'm whole again.

It only got worse when you got with Glen, Mom. If he's not screaming at me, he's complaining about me, calling me out of my name. Do you have any idea how much that hurts? You would never treat Jake like that, but you let him treat me like I'm nothing. Maybe it's because I remind you and him of my dad and you just want me gone. I'll go, and I won't come back. I can't do this much longer.

I know my dad isn't perfect and he had a big hand in why your marriage failed, but he's still my dad, and he doesn't try to change the things that remind him of you. He accepts me how I am because you both made me. I didn't get to choose.

We used to be close, and I hope someday we can be close again, but I don't see that time in the near future.

I know you don't like me right now, but I'll always love you Mom.

Clare

Clare was sobbing after she wrote it. She stuffed it into her backpack and left it for Monday. She tried to open her window for air, and she realized it had been sealed. She was in jail now. She texted Bianca. "I'm finally at home. Not sure when I'll be allowed to hang out again." She was surprised her mother hadn't come to taken her phone yet.

Jake came home to see Clare in her bed. He could smell the salty tears in the air. He didn't know what to do. He just sat next to her. He brought food to her room over the weekend, since he didn't think she'd eat otherwise. Glen threatened to take her door off the hinge if she didn't come down to Sunday dinner. Reluctantly, she did. She felt like all of the wind was out of her sails. She got it, the monster lecture on how irresponsible she was and how they were taking her license, so she couldn't ride her bike anymore even at Dad's.

He took the key anyway, not that they knew this. She also figured she'd go get a new license when Dad gave her keys back. It's not like she can't get a replacement copy for a fee. She didn't bother to argue with them as they said she's grounded indefinitely, no phone, no Eli, only the computer for school, but when they said she wasn't going to her Dad's anymore, she snapped. "You can't keep me from him. I don't care what you say." She ran to her room and wedged a chair under her door.

She barely ate her dinner. She wasn't hungry anyway.

Come Monday, Clare hugged Eli when she got to school. He asked how she was and she told him she was grounded forever, no phone, no Eli, no license, she wasn't even allowed to see her Dad. She said she'd find away for them to be together. She couldn't give him up.

Eli asked her if she could join the play. Then, she'd have later school. She said she'd take any job and say it was extra credit for missing class.

She turned in her assignment. She almost forgot she had written it. Saturday seemed so long ago. She was about to go to the paper, when Miss. Dawes asked to see her.

"Is it about my letter?"

She nodded her head.

"Am I in trouble?"

"No Clare. I said I wouldn't share them and I won't, but I think you should consider it. I think your Mom needs to hear some of this, even though she won't like it. No parent is perfect. Sometimes, they get caught up in their own mess and they don't see the effect their actions have on everyone. It's like they focus on a tree and forget they are in an entire forest."

Clare did not want to show the letter to her Mom. Miss Dawes did hand it back ot her. She got an A+, which Miss. Dawes did not give out very often. Clare finally opened herself up and wrote something from deep within. She was always talented, but she preferred flufifer stories, like vampires or riding around on her bike, or some adventure with the Candy Bandits. Clare held up a mirror to herself when she wrote that letter. It was enlightening.

Clare was late to the paper. She was assigned to write on the play. Perfect! She had a reason to stay.

When she got home, she was accused of being late. She wasn't, but she knew no one would listen to her anyway so she stayed in her room. She sent an e-mail to her dad, realizing if he had tried to call her, he wouldn't get anywhere. She told him about Sunday.

Randall had already filed for custody on Monday. When he got her e-mail, he knew this was going to be a nasty fight. He didn't want that after the divorce was nasty enough, but he had to do something. Clare did her homework. She kept her computer on silent, so she could IM Eli. "I got assigned the paper, so I get to interview you."

"Can this be a private interview?"

"Oh, Mr. Director. Are you flirting with me?"

"Maybe."

The next day, Bianca came over to "visit Jake." She went to Clare's room instead. "Hey, so you do live," she asked her.

Clare hugged her. "I wanted to call, but they took my phone. I'm also grounded for like, forever."

"What all happened?"

Clare explained that she snuck away to Calgary after the dinner fiasco with the Candy Bandits and how she met the Calgary trio. She took a bunch of pictures and came back with sketches for designs for a bike.

"You want to build a new bike?"

"I thought we could build it together. Then, you'd have a bike to ride."

"For me?"

"That was the plan, but I'm grounded forever, so you might have to wait a while."

Bianca smiled. "You're the best friend I ever had."

"Really, I hear that I'm a selfish brat all the time."

"They don't know shit Clare!"

Bianca went to the yard and got the bike. Jay helped her get it to his shop. They weren't sure when Clare could work on it, but they'd find a way to do it together. She was a Bandit now. They never left each other behind.

Helen's lawyer got served with the papers on Wednesday. Helen was pissed when she got the call. No way was Randall winning custody. They had a hearing for next week. Helen's lawyer went over it with the family, what to say, what to do. Clare folded her arms. She wasn't testifying against her father. She didn't care what her mother threatened her with.

On Saturday, Clare went to the lawyer for one final meeting. After leaving, Clare was to go straight home, but then she saw Jay on his bike.

"Hop on, Edwards."

She went with him and they rode around for a while, going no where and everywhere until they got to the shop. Clare saw the bike she had picked out for Bianca and she immediately got to work. She only had a few hours, but she got a handle on what she was doing and what parts she needed to get. She left Jay with a list and he said he'd find it.

She hugged him and then she walked home.

When she had to face her family in court, it was like two completely different narratives. A woman struggling to raise her daughter who is rebelling after her father abandoned her and is enabling her bad behavior vs. the loving father who tried to keep Clare comfortable after a stressful divorce by leaving her to live in her childhood home, but the blended family situation just wasn't working, and it was more appropriate to send her to him. The judge heard from her dad, his girlfriend, Jake was called by her dad's lawyer, which Helen's lawyer objected to, but he was fair game since he was on Helen's witness list. Jake had to tell the court how he looked for Clare but his dad and his stepmother didn't and no one even told Randall until Thursday. He was honest, but he was not happy to be there at all.

Helen's lawyer tried to play up Clare's outburst, to make it seem like she was going down the wrong path and her father was the reason. When Clare was called to testify, she refused to speak. "I have had it with being caught in the middle, and I'm not doing it. I'm not testifying against my Dad, and I'm not testifying against my Mom either, even if I think she's flat out wrong." She slipped two pieces of paper to the judge and said, "This is all you're gonna get out of me." She got off the witness stand and left, not even waiting to be dismissed.

The judge was too stunned to put her in contempt. The lawyers both fussed over a letter that had not been seen before being used in lieu of testimony. The judge said he'd review the letter and then decide if and how to use it. He went to his chambers and he was surprised that it had been addressed to her own mother and not to him. He read it and then read the second letter.

"Dear Dad,

I know you're trying to do the right thing by seeking custody, and I would rather live with you, but I don't know if court is the best thing for our family right now. My Mom and I don't speak anymore, and I don't think testifying against her position would win me any favors. I don't know if refusing to testify will get me any, but I have to try. I love my Mom and as mad as she is right now, I know she loves me too, somewhere. She's just too mad at you to show it. I wish she wasn't so mad, but you really hurt her Dad. She was married to you for over twenty years, thought she gave you the life you wanted, a nice home and two beautiful children and then you left it all for a younger woman, a woman with fewer wrinkles and scars and probably more inclined to have sex with you.

I know you didn't anticipate all of the pain this would cause, but you knew it would cause a lot, and you did it anyway. I don't know why Mom wasn't enough for you anymore, but it hurts to think that I'm not enough either. I tried my best to keep everything together, but no matter what I do, I get split in two.

Please, do everything you can to try and settle with Mom. I just don't want anymore lawsuits. No matter how mad she gets at you or me for being like you, you'll always be my dad. She can't take that away from me, and I think somewhere deep down, she knows that she shouldn't try. I am hopeful someday, she'll move past this, but that means you'll have to try harder too. I know how nasty your arguments get with her, and it takes two to tango. Just remember that.

Love,

Clare.

The judge wanted to slap both of her parents' heads together. This kid had more sense than both of them put together, and she's the one who ran off to Calgary with her biker posse to play around on motorcycles.

He called for a closed session between the parties, no kids present. He didn't have anything to say to either of them. Clare already said it better herself. He instructed the bailiff to give each letter to the respective parent. "Not the lawyers," he instructed the bailiff. "This isn't legalese."

Glen immediately tried to take the letter from Helen, but she turned. She needed to hear this. She and Clare hadn't spoken in far too long. Her eyes were welling with tears as she read her letter. She knew things had gotten bad between them, but she hadn't realized how much of that was her own fault. Randall wasn't crying, but he was pretty distraught too. He hadn't been the father of the year that his lawyer made himself out to be. He had been far too selfish for that and coming back for her now, didn't undo what he did to set this all in motion. He went up to his ex-wife and said. "Let's forget this case and our lawyers. We need to get this right for Clare. It's taken us far too long."

They went into a conference room. They had their terse moments, but they realized she needed both of them, together for once. They agreed to a shared custody schedule. He already had plans to fit one of the rooms in the condo for her. They also thought she needed counseling, with each of them. The letters were just the beginning. They had a lot to talk about. They decided to alternate who went with her to the counselor and to have that be the opposite parent she was residing with that week, so if things got tense, there was a cooling off period for everyone.

They even came to an agreement on her bike. She wouldn't be riding it for a while, but she could do repair work at the shop. They both thought she needed something therapeutic. If things went well, they'd revisit the idea of giving her the keys back on her seventeenth birthday.

Jake and Clare waited outside. "I never got a chance to give you your birthday present, or apologize for ruining your dinner."

"I wish I had never invited her. I didn't know."

"I realized that afterwards. I was pretty ticked off at the time."

"They'll probably be a while. Want to get the present now?"

He drove her home and she went to his car. She popped open the hood and showed him his transmission.

"What am I looking at?"

"I fixed it silly. I took it to the shop and replaced those gears. Didn't you notice it's a smoother ride now?"

"I had, but I didn't put two and two together. This is awesome. I wish I knew as much about repairs."

"I have a bike I'm working on at Jay's if you want to help, that is, once I can leave the house again."

"Sweet."

They headed back. The judge called them all in and the lawyers announced that the case was withdrawn and they had their own settlement agreement. The judge asked his preliminary questions and then accepted the agreement; it was over.

Clare sighed in relief when she heard the gavel strike. Her mother hugged her. "I am so sorry. I never should have let things get so out of hand." She and Randall sat down with Clare and explained to her the new custody agreement. They also said she could work at the shop after school twice a week and on weekends, but her grades had to stay up. There were still restrictions on when Eli could come over, but he was invited over for dinner. Helen wanted to start over with him, with her too.

"I'd like that," Clare said. They still had a lot of work to do, and Helen had some terse discussions with her own husband afterwards, but Clare finally felt like she didn't have to be on her bike to breathe. She could stand on her own two feet just fine.

**THE END**


End file.
